Loire tasting @J&B

2011 Vendanges Entières, Sancerre Rouge, Vincent Pinard 

The annual J & B (Justerini & Brooks) Loire and Rhône tasting is certainly worthwhile. Although their Rhône list is more comprehensive than the Loire, there were a number of good things to taste this afternoon. Furthermore having tasted the Loire there was time for me to go and play and try a few Rhônes before departing.  

One of the highlights of the tasting was 10 Sancerres from Vincent Pinard – five white and five red. I particularly enjoyed the ripe and richly textured 2011 Vendanges Entières, Sancerre Rouge (£35.46). It still needs time but will be a lovely bottle in a few years time. At £25.46 the 2009 Charlouise is a little more evolved – again with seductive texture and charming Pinot fruit. 

Not easy to pick a favourite from the Pinard whites but I'll go for the 2012 Harmonie (£25.46) with good weight, concentration and length that will surely age well.

   

2009 La Croix du Roy, Sancerre Rouge, Lucien Crochet

2011 Le Cul de Beaujeu

Two wines from Lucien Crochet (represented by Gilles Crochet) impressed. La Croix du Roy (£16.96) is an old favourite and the charming, soft 2009 underlines again how good Pinot Noir now can be from Sancerre and other Central Loire vineyards – well worth considering given the increase in prices in Burgundy.

The other – Le Cul de Beaujeu, Sancerre Blanc – was new to me. The Cul de Beaujeu is the very steep slope that is directly above Chavignol on the other flank from the better known Les Monts Damnés. The Beaujeu parcel belongs to a cousin of Gilles' wife. He was a pilot with Air France but has just retired and intends to make his own wine from 2015, so Gilles has only been able to make six vintages of this wine – 2009 - 2014. The 2011 Crochet Cul de Beaujeu (£23.96) is noticeably richer and fuller than than the other Crochet Sancerres, although it is still quite tight in the finish and certainly needs time to show its best. 

J & B have reduced their Sancerre range as they are no longer listing the wines of François Cotat – not finding the recent vintages sufficiently convincing.  

2012 Anjou Blanc, Domaine Thibaud Boudignon (£17.46)

2012 Anjou Blanc à Francois(e), 

Domaine Thibaud Boudignon  (£23.46)

 

2012 Savennières, La Fougerais,  

Domaine Thibaud Boudignon

As at last year's tasting the startlingly precise wines from Thibaud Boudignon stood out in particularly his beautifully textured and long 2011 Savennières (£30.46).   

Other wines that impressed:

2012 Clos de Venise, Vouvray, Domaine de la Taille aux Loups (£22.46)

2008 Clos de la Dioterie, Chinon, Charles Joguet (£22.46)

 

2011 Les Fevettes, Saumur-Champigny, 

Château de Hureau (£16.46)

Loire 2012s@J&B tasting on 18.11.2013

Thibaud Boudignon – very fine Anjou Blanc and Savennières from own vines 

+ in charge of Château Soucherie 

The Justerini & Brooks Loire and Rhône tasting was a good opportunity to taste some Loire 2012s along with a few from 2011 and earlier vintages. The tasting showed that, although 2012 was a small vintage, some dry whites and reds were made, although the terrible weather during October meant that sweet whites were a wash-out. 

I was particularly impressed by the wines of Thibaud Boudignon – his Anjou Blancs but especially his finely precise, linear 2012 Les Fougerais, Savennières. Early this year Thibaud was in hospital with a bad back, so it is good to see him now active again. These wines come from the two hectares of his own vines. His main responsibility is looking after the 28 hectares of Château Soucherie in the Layon. Soucherie's 2010 Chaume won the 2013 Loire regional sweet wine trophy. 

The 2012s from Jacky Blot – Bourgueil, Montlouis and Vouvray – are looking promising, especially the Clos de Venise (Vouvray), Remus Plus (Montlouis) and the Clos Mosny (Montlouis) among the whites and the two Bourgueils shown – le Haut de la Butte and Les Perrières. 

Then on to the Sauvignon Blancs: standouts were – 2011 Sancerre and Le Chêne, Lucien Crochet (Gilles Crochet always ages his wines for an additional year before they are put on the market); and Sancerres from Vincent Pinard – 2012 Petit Chamarin and 2011 Harmonie. There were three 2012s from François Cotat  – Caillottes, Les Culs de Beaujeu and Les Monts Damnées – that I found underwhelming at this stage in their life. I have had wonderful bottles of Cotat in the past and these may well develop with time. However, on the evidence of this tasting I would rather pay £130 (a case of 12 in bond) for Le Chêne (Crochet) than £260 a case for Cotat's Les Culs de Beaujeu or Les Monts Damnées.  

Also on show were Château de Hureau's Saumur Champignys and Charles Joguet's Chinons with 2011 Cuvée les Fevettes (Hureau) and 2011 Clos du Chêne Vert and 2011 Clos de la Dioterie the standouts. In contrast I found the Joguet 2011 Cuvée Terroir rather green in the finish. It is, however, £45 for a case of 6 compared to £110 for the Dioterie.   

There was also a small selection of Loires already released. Here i picked out the finely balanced 2011 Anjou Blanc sec from Thibaud Boudignon, 2011 Clos de Venise (Jacky Blot) and the just lovely 2010 Les Onnis, Coteaux du Layon Chaume from Domaine des Forges – full of ripe apricots.   

 A rather soft focus Anne-Charlotte Genet, Domaine Charles Joguet

 Gilles Crochet, Domaine Lucien Crochet, Bué, AC Sancerre 

Jacky Blot

 

 

Jean Philippe Blot

2012 Salon des Vins de Loire: a few more portraits

 Matthias Levron (Château Princé – Anjou) and 

Château de Parnay – Saumur-Champigny and Saumur) 

Thibaud Boudignon (winemaker@Château de la Soucherie – Anjou) Doing good things in Chaume and Savennières


 

Egmont Labadie (writer)

Lincoln Siliakus, Australian writer living in the Vaucluse
Lincoln will be one of our new guest stars on Les 5 du Vin

Patrice Colin  – producer in the Coteaux du Vendomois and maker of a fine rosé